Whittier Daily News asked: has the city done enough to address issues brought up by the state in the 2018 audit? What still needs to be done?
I responded:
Montebello was added to the State’s High Risk Program in 2018. The State identified contracting deficiencies, lapses in fiscal controls, and underperforming assets. Since that time, council and staff have addressed virtually every concern identified by the Auditor. However, there have been missteps by past majorities that I have fought to correct. In 2023, I successfully gained the approval of council to remove new exemptions to bidding that allowed a large number of expensive contracts to circumvent the competitive bidding process. We also addressed the hundreds of thousands of general fund dollars supplementing the golf course by introducing TopGolf and new amenities to our historic course. We also implemented new controls over contracting, credit card spending, and fiscal transparency.
Whether or not we have done enough can only be answered by the State Auditor to whom I reported concerning actions by the previous majority. Over the last several years I have had meetings with the State Auditor and Montebello’s independent auditor to report possible instances of fraud, waste, and abuse. While we continue to make progress in almost all areas, I would not be surprised if my reports created ongoing scrutiny in the city; however, I believe the financial outlook of Montebello is best served by making sure the State Auditor is aware of our shortcomings and successes such as rescinding exemptions to competitive bidding and strengthening the city manager’s spending authority for continuity of operations. I will continue to remain vigilant over city spending and contracting.
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